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Blending our loves, our life and our work is something we all hope to do. It takes courage and hope to follow our dreams as many of you know. Erika Scilipoti, PhD tells us of how finding that her inspiration is in nature has launched her on a path to pursue a business where she can share her passion with stunning photography and inspire connection in others.

A Celebration of Mindful Living, Work and Our Deep Connection with Nature

​​This is a brief telling of how I found my passion, a way to share the beauty I see and experience in nature, and offer the world inspiration through my work. I have always been fascinated with visual perception, which has been my research focus for over a decade. I’ve studied the visual system and how it interacts with our higher-level cognitive functions, while practicing meditation and researching how it affects our brain and our perceptions. During my graduate school years I began to practice photography. For me, the time spent with my camera is quite precious; I enjoy it most when in nature, either at the park, the botanical gardens, or in the forest. Over the years I have deepened my meditation practice and began to explore mindfulness through photography. For me, it's about the relationship between the contemplative state of mind - of clear and non-conceptual awareness and the creative experience through photography, and that experience happens with nature.

I wanted to share with others what I felt was inside of me, the feeling of being in the moment, of breathing the colors and sounds, and the extraordinary sense of oneness with nature.​My photography is the process of understanding with all the senses and the body: feeling like the flower in the sun, being the drop of rain. My approach to photography is contemplative. It emphasizes simplicity and the aesthetic experience found in our natural environment. My images embody the beauty of the sensory experience: light, composition, and colors reveal the natural beauty and harmony found in nature, celebrating its sensual experience.

What I capture in my photography is more than just a visual experience, but a way to connect with nature.

Offering this way of connecting with nature is one of the goals of the company I founded. Nature’s Atelier celebrates the beauty of nature and mindful living and aims to give others the same joy with products that will be a constant reminder of the majesty earth provides. Each photographic image used on our products is a contemplation of nature. A harmony of colors and lines of delicate flower patterns are then digitally printed on natural fabrics.

With my photography and Nature’s Atelier I wish to bring awareness to the restorative effects that natural environments have on all of us, offering relaxation, improving our mood and cognitive functions, and stimulating our creativity.

​I believe that a more mindful way of living, such as slowing down to see and enjoy our surroundings with all our senses and body, will encourage a deeper appreciation of our natural environment.

Erika Scilipoti is a psychologist and has a PhD in Cognitive Science. Erika is a nature lover and passionate photographer. She is interested in visual arts and how contemplative practices relate to the creative process, and has developed courses that focus on the relationship between the contemplative states of mind and the creative experience through photography. She lives in Rumford, Rhode Island and enjoys hiking in the woods with her pup Leo. She founded a small business named Nature's Atelier to share with others the feeling of being in the moment and sense of oneness with nature. You can see Erika’s work at www.erikascilipoti.com or follow her daily photos of nature and Leo on Instagram @naturesatelier.

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